Diplomas denied: How Portland's school leaders hide the dropout problem

The Oregonian’s Betsy Hammond delved into Portland Public Schools’ sky-high dropout rate. Why do more than 1,100 students a year drop out of the district’s high schools? With the district’s cooperation, Hammond tracked all 7,700 students in the classes of 2010 and 2011. Her key finding: Many students see their path to a diploma vanish after they’re allowed to transfer into a network of mostly unaccountable alternative schools. Hammond also looked at the poor outcomes for students who are allowed to settle for a GED instead of getting a diploma. And she examined two districts — the Hillsboro School District and the district in Mesa, Ariz. — that have similar students but achieve far higher graduation rates.